i really enjoyed reading this book, it's a fun concept of a series, I liked the characters and the story itself. I enjoyed the adventurous elements.

I found this an interesting novel about a lost Van Gogh painting. The plot was action packed and full of twists and turns.

Juliette's Van Gogh has an interesting premise and is well written and researched.

The author's knowledge of art and the art world provides an interesting background to the story so I really enjoyed the first part of the book where the student researched the missing Van Gogh.

The author is clearly familiar with France, Belgium, Amsterdam, Singapore and the other locations featured in the story and his descriptions are accurate, evocative and vivid.

However, after the SALT team was hired to recover the artwork, the book's focus changed from art to the individual characters. I did not find the SALT team or its individual characters credible or interesting; there were also too many of them resulting in too many minor subplots following their backgrounds and interactions. Also unlike the initial characters, their dialog didn't come across as natural.

I enjoy creative books about art, culture, cuisine and an engaging mystery to be solved. Juliette’s Van Gogh is a chase around Arles, Singapore, Paris, Prague, Amsterdam and Ipoh by the SALT team (a Seekers After Lost Treasure Adventure) of 2 women and 3 men, each with unique investigative skills, in search of a hijacked, verified, previously unknown Van Gogh painting. There is a cast of pick-up characters who may become lovers, betrayers, millionaires, or murderers. There are gangs, secret societies, artists, art appraisers and thieves, rivalries, family secrets, detectives, insurance brokers and museums.

Descriptive passages on art works and artists sounded like a classroom lesson- informative but not engaging; conversations were often stilted, and the few food paragraphs were not mouth-watering.
I read through it quickly and was interested enough to get to whodunit. However, there was little flow to the narrative, and I had hoped for so much more.

The Templar’s Chalice and Juliette’s van Gogh by C.L. Decker
Source: Purchase and NetGalley
Collective Rating: 2/5 stars

**DUAL REVIEW**

Please note: I have essentially the same thoughts regarding both books so it seems more efficient to offer a single dual review rather than two individual reviews.

As an Art Historian, I am always going to be drawn to books that have to do with art, art history, and the like. I have come across some truly phenomenal books in the genre, but, unfortunately, C.L. Decker’s The Templar’s Chalice and Juliette’s van Gogh are not among them.

Both of these books have a wonderful premise and should have been absolute page turners. Instead, I found two books – both of which I read cover to cover – that are amateurishly written, bogged down with more descriptions of food than the works of art, and characters that are underdeveloped and forgettable. While I understand these words are harsh, they are also honest. I wanted both of these books to be so much better than they are given their respective subjects. I wanted the characters in these books to be experts in their respective fields, to be forceful, knowledgeable, fierce, and unwavering in their mission. I wanted far more action, more focus on the history and backstory of the works of art, and less time spent devouring gourmet meals. What’s more, the random inner monologues related to two insta-love situations were completely distracting and have no real place in either story.

The Bottom Line: As many of you know, I don’t often post purely negative reviews, but I just can’t pull anything truly positive to say about these books. It would be my hearty and heartfelt recommendation to see both of these books go back to the drawing board. They both have a wonderful premise, but the execution falls short of the initial potential.

It's an engrossing, entertaining and well researched book.
i liked the style of writing, the characters and the mystery.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is quite good. The author has talent and good use of language to provided interesting descriptions as well a craft and interesting story. I stayed engaged throughout. Some good research must have gone into this. Recommended for mystery fans.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

I enjoyed reading this book and I'm impressed with the author's knowledge of the art world an art. His descriptions are excellent, you can taste the food and wine as he describes it. I love how our protagonist travel around the world saving art pieces. Fantastic idea and I hope there really is such a secret Force. I enjoyed this book much more than his first one, he's really grown into his characters and his plots. The character development was wonderful and the plot line was so interesting. Again, I don't feel the need for romance in these style books. I prefer the knowledge and Intrigue and art. Good show and I can't wait for book 3!

I would like to thank C. L. Decker, C. A. Scribner, Shadow Rock Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.